Limpopo businesses welcome move to Alert Level 2 with cautious optimism

The Limpopo Chamber of Commerce says businesses that incurred financial losses since the start of the lockdown will find it difficult to recover despite the country moving into Alert Level 2 of the national lockdown from Monday midnight.

Small business owners have also expressed concern that returning to normal operations will be challenging.

Some businesses trading in liquor and tobacco products have welcomed the easing of restrictions as part of Alert Level 2.

In Limpopo, some local businesses trading in wine delivered from the Western Cape say they have run out of stock.

Mello Ngoasheng, who runs her own company specialising in the sale of wine, says her company has been negatively affected. She says while some wine companies were able to export wine, local distributors incurred losses.

“We have not been able to sell anything and this is the only source of income for someone like myself, we do welcome the Level two, that now we can be able to make those sales in terms of the wine industry. The impact has been there but it has not been as bad as other industries. I mean during the lockdown, those who do export were still able to export their wine. It will just be some of us who sell locally that we need to pick up.”

Suppliers who run stores that sell tobacco are anticipating to have new stock by the end of the week.

“It will take about one week before it comes to the shop. We still need to order and it is not enough. Right now people are still selling illicit cigarettes.”

Researcher at the Institute for Economic Justice Busi Sibeko talks about economic recovery post the COVID-19 lockdown: 

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‘No access to relief fund’

Meanwhile, the Limpopo Chamber of Commerce has stressed that the many businesses seized operations as a result of the lockdown. The chamber’s president, Albert Jeleni says businesses did not have access to the government relief fund meant to help struggling small businesses.

“We welcome the opening of the economy. We have been eagerly waiting for that, but obviously our biggest challenge is that it is a little bit too late for our businesses. However, the lateness has got nothing to do with time that we have been under lockdown. It has to do with the failed promises while we were under lockdown. So, during the lockdown, the time we had been given the relief fund as promised we wouldn’t be saying it is too late. So, our businesses actually died during that time.”

Other forms of businesses including gyms, bars and restaurants are also allowed to open under Level two of national lockdown.

President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses the nation on Lockdown Level 2:

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